Congressman Says Protesters in Charlotte Hate Whites Because of Their Success

For many years, as demonstrators around the country have poured out onto the streets, little doubt has been seen as their lead motivation: Outrage due to the killings of black Americans who were unarmed by law enforcement that is funded by taxpayers.

However, Robert Pittenger a U.S. Representative from North Carolina does not agree. The lawmaker, who is 68 and white, said he understands motivations of young, black protesters better than most do.

Pittenger said the anger, the animus the hate, they have for white people is due to the success of the whites and not themselves.

He added that it was a welfare state, where the government has spent trillion of taxpayers’ dollars on welfare that has put people into bondage, so they are not able to be as capable as they could.

The district Pittenger represents includes parts of Charlotte where protests exploded following the fatal shooting by local police of Keith Lamont Scott a black man, which put the city on a list that is quickly growing of communities around the nation that have been erupting amidst the growing debate over racial bias within police departments.

Pittenger, who is in his second term with Congress, represents the 9th Congressional District in North Carolina and is a member of the Financial Services Committee of the House.

His comments drew strong criticism from local politicians and the Democratic Party in North Carolina, which labeled them as racists.

The comments in my opinion are inexcusable said the Executive Director of the Democratic Party Kimberly Reynolds.

At such a time that understanding and calm is needed while more is learned about the fatal shooting of Mr. Scott, Pittenger has fanned the flames of hate due to his racist rhetoric, said Reynolds.

That type of bigotry, added Reynolds, has become too common under the GOP and our state should not have a representative who makes comments that are so hateful.

She called on Pittenger to apologize and on Governor Pat McCrory and every leader of the GOP in North Carolina to denounce the hateful rhetoric spoken by Pittenger.

A number of hours after the interview was posted online, Pittenger posted his heartfelt response on his own website along with a number of tweets.